1. Field of the Invention
A developing solution that is used for developing an electrostatic latent image, with respect to such as an electrophotograph, an electrostatic recording, or an electrostatic printing, is, as an instance thereof, in a course of a process of developing thereupon, temporarily adhered upon an image support body, such as an electrostatic latent image support body whereupon is formed an electrostatic latent image, transferred thereafter, in a course of a process of transferring thereupon, from the electrostatic latent image support body to a transfer medium, such as a transfer sheet of print paper, and fixed thereafter upon a surface of the print paper thereof in a course of a process of fixing thereupon.
In such a circumstance, as a developing solution for developing the electrostatic latent image that is formed upon a support surface thereof, a two component type developing solution is known that is formed from a carrier and a toner, as is a single component developing solution that does not require the carrier, i.e., a magnetic toner or a non-magnetic toner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a so-called powdered toner, wherein a toner binder, such as a styrene resin or a polyester resin is melted and mixed together with such as a coloring agent, which is thereupon pulverized into a fine particulate mass thereof, is widely employed as a dry toner, which in turn is employed as an electrophotograph, an electrostatic recording, or an electrostatic printing.
In addition, in recent times, an investigation has been performed with regard to a so-called compound type of toner, i.e., a toner manufacturing method by way of a suspension polymerization method or an emulsion polymer condensation method. A method of creation is also being investigated in addition thereto, in accordance with a volumetric shrinkage that is referred to as a polymer dissolution suspension method; refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. H07-152202 for particulars. The method thereof involves dispersing and dissolving a toner material within a volatile solvent, such as an organic solvent comprising a low boiling point, emulsifying and liquefying the toner thus dispersed and dissolved within a water based medium whereupon a dispersing agent is present, and removing the volatile solvent thereafter. The method thereof is superior in that, unlike the suspension polymerization method or the emulsion polymer condensation method, a universality of a resin that may be employed thereupon is wider, and it would be possible to employ a polyester resin that would be effective in a full color process, wherein a clarity and a post fixing smoothness of an image portion is particularly demanded.
With respect to the compound type of toner described herein, however, it is known that presuming the precondition of using the dispersing agent within the water based medium leads by no means to a satisfactory manufacturing method thereof, in that doing so results in a fault arising therewith, such as the dispersing agent, which may degrade a charge characteristic of the toner, being left upon an obverse surface of the toner thereof, and thereupon degrading an environmental friendliness of the toner thereof, with an unusually large volume of water required for washing the toner, in order to remove the dispersing agent thereupon.
On the other hand, a spray desiccation particle method is well established as a method of manufacturing the toner without employing the water based medium thereupon; refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. S57-201248 for particulars. The spray desiccation particle method of manufacturing the toner obtains a particle of the toner by employing a wide range of atomizers to discharge, in a fine particulate state, either a toner composition element fusion solution, or a solution wherein a toner composition liquid is dissolved, and desiccating the particle thus discharged. The fault thus associated with employing the water based medium is thereby avoided as a result.
The particle that is obtained by way of a conventional spray desiccation particle method, however, is comparatively rough and large, and also comprise a wide distribution of a degree of a particle thereof, thereby engendering a degradation of a characteristic of the very toner that is thus manufactured.
A method and a device has thus been proposed, as a method of manufacturing the toner that substitutes for the methods described herein, wherein a piezoelectric pulse is used to form a fine grain droplet, which is then further desiccated and hardened to produce the toner; refer to Japanese Patent No. 3,786,034 for particulars. Furthermore, a production method has also been proposed wherein a thermal expansion within a nozzle is used to form the fine grain droplet, which is then further desiccated and solidified to produce the toner particle, as per Japanese Patent No. 3,786,034; refer to Japanese Patent No. 3,786,035 for particulars.
With regard to the method of manufacturing the toner, and the device for manufacturing the toner, that is disclosed according to Japanese Patent No. 3,786,034 and Japanese Patent No. 3,786,035, however, a problem of an inefficiency in manufacturing arises, in that it is only possible to employ a single piezoelectric element to perform a droplet discharge from a single nozzle of the device thereof, and thus, a quantity of the droplet that may be discharged thereby on a time unit basis is low.
The inventor of the present invention has thus proposed a method of manufacturing the toner wherein a plurality of nozzles are formed within a metallic thin film, a horn shaped oscillation amplification device is employed to form the droplet by generating an oscillation within the metallic thin film whereupon the plurality of nozzles are formed, and the toner particle is formed by way of a solidification device; refer to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-276146 for particulars.
According to the application of the prior invention, the oscillation of the metallic thin film causes a oscillation of a complex shape to occur upon an oscillation surface of the metallic thin film at a high frequency band, such as 100 kHz, thereby forming the nozzle only upon a comparatively stable oscillating portion of the oscillation surface of the metallic thin film.
Whereas, from a standpoint of efficiency in manufacturing, the more nozzles that are formed upon the metallic thin film, the better, the complex shape of the oscillation arises upon the oscillation surface of the metallic thin film at the high frequency band, resulting in an unstable oscillation upon the metallic thin film, and thus limiting a quantity of the nozzle that is to be formed upon the metallic thin film. As a consequence thereof, a problem arises with regard to the metallic thin film according to the application of the prior invention wherein a restriction upon the quantity of the nozzles that is to be formed upon the metallic thin film and a positioning of the metallic thin film is overly restricted.
The inventor of the present invention and others have thus completed the present invention as a result of a diligent investigation into a configuration that is capable of stabilizing the oscillation of the thin film whereupon the nozzle is to be formed across the overall oscillation surface of the metallic thin film, and of positioning as many nozzles as possible within a oscillation surface region of the thin film.